Coal Hill Tea Break
by Lancelotlaureate
Summary: Ian and Clara bond whilst enjoying a cuppa.


Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor stood proudly as he saw his companion approaching him. Clara was beaming from ear to ear, her graduation cap slightly too big for her head, and her black robes far too long for her petite frame.

"Did this belong to someone else? Do you give all your companions graduation ceremonies?"

"Sometimes, Clara. But I had to really, didn't I? It was my fault you missed yours."

Clara scoffed. "This is a time machine isn't it? We could just go there again and _not_ miss it."

"Oh come on!" the Doctor said, throwing his hands in the air. "This is much more fun. I've worked so hard."

"You?" she said as she slammed her fist on the console. "I'm the one who got the teaching degree aren't I? I don't think you've ever even had a degree!"

The Doctor spun around in protest. "Now that is just a lie…well…it's none of your business really, and anyway we were talking about you. Well done Clara, sorry the hat's too big!"

…

An old man stepped out of his car in the Coal Hill School car park and casually made his way into the building. He was carrying a briefcase and was speaking on a mobile phone. He stood tall and proud with a mane of white hair that distinguished him from everyone around him who was so much younger. He passed a group of children who were in their school uniforms, their clothes slightly not of the dress code, their ties askew and tucked into their shirts, the girl's skirts much shorter than the required length. The man chuckled to himself. Times had certainly changed since his day.

He was greeted at the school office by the headmaster Will Coburn, a trendy thirty-something go-getter who was keen to make Coal Hill into a state of the art technology college, and had ambitions very beyond its current reach. Coal Hill was a modest school, always had been, catering for children of every need, and yet Mr. Coburn saw big things for its future.

"Ah, Mr. Chesterton, our beloved Chairman, do come in."

"Please, call me Ian," the man smiled as he shook his hand. "Honestly every time I tell you its ok to call me Ian, you still opt for Mr. Chesterton."

"Oh sorry Mr…uh…Ian, I always forget you don't like the formalities."

Ian laughed. "It's alright. So are the rest of the board here? I've a few things I wanted to discuss about these radical ideas of yours."

"No can do, they're not here yet. Apparently there's horrendous traffic. An old police box just got stuck in the road or something. Do you remember those police boxes? apparently they had them back in the 60's?"

"I certainly do! Much more than you I expect," Ian replied with a twinkle in his eye.

"Well Ian, why don't you have a wander about, there's been a few changes since your last visit?"

Ian nodded politely and set off into the corridor.

When he arrived at one of the classrooms he stood and admired the room for a moment, looking around the space and smiling. He ventured inside, no longer feeling welcome in the building as he used to in the 1960's. Even though he was the Chairman of the Governors now, he still felt a visitor and strangely disconnected from the re-furbished school. Feeling his legs were starting to drag he pulled out one of the chairs and sat down at one of the desks. He glanced at the white board and smiled at the lesson plan scribbled on the board.

"Can I help you?" said a voice from the doorway.

A young brunette woman walked into the room and stood beside Ian's desk. Ian tried to get up but wobbled and the woman helped him steady himself.

"Oh I do apologise for snooping. We may have not met. I'm the Chairman, Ian Chesterton, just waiting for a meeting with the board, if they ever get here."

Clara shook his hand. "Well I'm Clara Oswald, this is my classroom."

Ian smiled warmly as he took in what her name was. "Oh, so you're Clara Oswald?"

Clara seemed confused. "You know me?"

"Only on paper. You see I was the on the hiring committee for the last year and I had a very highly praised recommendation for you."

Clara's face remained unchanged. "Someone recommended me? The person I gave as a reference you mean?"

"Not exactly no. An old friend of mine paid me a visit and told me all about you and your qualifications."

Clara seemed annoyed. "I specifically told him not to interfere. Did he interfere? He interfered didn't he?"

Ian tried to reply but she seemed to be having a conversation with herself.

"Clara I don't think he was trying to upset you," Ian said offering a reassuring glance. "Take a seat, eh?"

They sat down at the desk and sat facing one another. "Not trying to upset me? He contacted an old friend and begged him to let me have a job?"

Ian patted her hand gently. "I think you misunderstood. He wasn't trying to force us to take you; he was just checking we got your application. The other members of the committee told me they were very impressed with your interview. He had nothing to do with that."

"Oh…"

"This old friend of mine only saw what we here at the school could already see the minute you applied."

"Oh…well…that's different then."

Ian smiled and then turned away, looking once again at the room around him. He got out his phone from his pocket and stared at it hard, trying to see the screen without his glasses.

"Can I help you with that?" Clara asked him.

"Oh would you? I'm waiting for my wife to contact me. She's having day surgery on her knee and she's meant to be sending me a text."

Clara checked the inbox on Ian's phone, her tongue peering out the side of her mouth as she did so.

"Oh yep, yep, there is a message, from a… Barbara?"

"That's her. You wouldn't mind reading it would you? My eyesight's not what it used to be. You'll have all this to look forward to when you get old."

Clara laughed and agreed, looking at the screen. "She says that she's had her surgery…all is well…stop worrying…hope your meeting goes well…and… she loves you. Cute."

"Thank goodness for that. I know its not life threatening but I do worry about her."

"Of course you do. We all worry about our loved ones."

Clara handed him the phone and he slipped it back into his pocket. "And what about you, are you married Clara?"

"No, no, not yet."

"Well there's no need to rush all that yet is there? You've got a wonderful job here, and you're so young. I used to work here you know? This was Barbara's classroom once upon a time, but it looks a lot different of course. We had blackboards in those days for one thing."

"And now you're the Chairman, the big cheese?"

Ian laughed. "Something like that. I've always felt of this as some sort of special place for me. And I wanted to give something back to the place, help get it to its best."

"Well I'm sure if we all work together we'll make it happen. Give Ofsted something to rave about in their next inspection."

"Let's hope."

…

Clara handed Ian a cup of tea and watched as he handled the cup so gently, wrapping his cold hands around the warm mug.

"No sign of the rest of the board yet?" she asked.

"No. I hope I'm not ruining your lunch break. I can get out of your hair. Just say the word and I'll shove off."

"Of course not," Clara said. She took a big gulp of tea and sighed. "I'm enjoying a nice cuppa with a nice gentleman."

"Just don't tell the wife…" Ian smirked. "Tea with a pretty young lady in Barbara's old classroom, it's almost cheating."

"Don't be daft," Clara laughed. "Anyway your wife sounds like an amazing woman."

"Oh she is. She's recently retired but she still does a lot of guest lectures these days, mostly in her speciality of Aztec history. She's a professor, well… we both are."

Clara smiled. "Ooh I say, Dr. and Dr. Chesterton, that's got some weight to it hasn't it?"

"It opens a few doors," he winked.

Clara finished her tea and then paused. "Hold on a minute, you said he was an old friend? Your old friend is _my_ friend. We have the same friend, why do we have the same friend?"

"Is it that strange that we have the same friend?"

"It _is_ when it's my friend."

"He's a little different to when I knew him but he's…still the same man, Clara."

Clara narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "When did you know him?"

"Oh back in the 1960's, before you were even born. He was a grumpy old sod but I came to love him. Now _I'm_ a grumpy old sod and he's still trying to get me to love _him_."

"And do you?"

"Not when he wears that fez."

"No one does when he wears the fez. I tried telling him."

They both started to laugh in fondness of their friend; their faces alight with the memories. They may have travelled with different versions of him but they were definitely talking about the same man.

There was a moment of reflection and a pause.

"I'm really glad I met you Dr. Chesterton."

Ian shuddered. "Oh, no, one doctor is enough. Ian is what I go by."

"Ok," she said shaking his hand again. "I'm really glad I met you, Ian."

…

Clara walked into the hospital waiting room and saw Ian greeting Barbara with a kiss. She smiled and walked over, handing a surprised Barbara a big bouquet of flowers.

"Oh," Barbara let out. "I don't…"

Ian smiled. "This is Clara, she's not a replacement for you, I promise."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Just for your classroom. Clara is a teacher at Coal Hill. She has your classroom you see."

Barbara smiled and shook Clara's hand. "It's a great room," Barbara told her. "I do miss it."

"Don't worry, I'll look after it for you, and him too."

"Him?"

"The Doctor. Trust me. He needs all the help he can get."

…


End file.
